Obituary of John Anthony Warnke

WARNKE, John Anthony

John, late of Regina, SK passed away at the age of 80 years on Friday, April 10, 2020 at the William Booth Care Home following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.  John was born October 7, 1939 to Henry and Lauretta Warnke in Francis SK.  He was the eldest of eight children. John was predeceased by his wife Shirley Luella Warnke (nee King) on January 14, 2020.  This was on the day of their 59th Wedding Anniversary. John is survived by his three children Mark (Claudette), Laura (Gerry) and Brian; his grandchildren Veronique (Ryan), Andrew (Samm), Jon, Joseph and Denis; two great-grandchildren Bennett and Dara; brothers Ed of Langley BC, Father Eugene of Saskatoon, Chuck (Carol) of Swift Current and Bob (Becky) of Regina; sisters Margie of Weyburn and Bernie of Regina; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.  Family and faith were very important to John and he loved to get together to play cards, games and share a good meal. John remembered fondly how the Warnke home of his youth was a place for family and friends to gather. Unfortunately, the immediate and extended family was spread across Canada and at times beyond, so gatherings were even more important and precious. John served with the RCMP for 26 years in Manitoba and returned to his native Saskatchewan in 2001. Shirley and John created many lasting friendships in every place they served in Manitoba. When they returned to Saskatchewan, they rekindled many friendships from their school days and they also created new ones when they joined the Good Sam Club. Every spring since their return to Saskatchewan, they prepared their camper for outings with local and provincial Good Sam Club chapters or to do some work away from home or camping trips with family in British Columbia and Manitoba.  A memorial for Shirley’s ashes and a celebration of John’s life will take place at a date to be determined at the RCMP Depot, their final resting place. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the medical and administrative staff of the Pasqua Hospital, especially those on Unit 4A, as well as the William Booth Care Home for their compassionate care of John.  The family also wishes to acknowledge the many challenges faced by the medical and administrative staff during these very trying times of COVID-19 and wish to extend our appreciation for everyone’s efforts in trying to allow visitation access for John’s family.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of John to the RCMP Chapel Depot Division, Building 13 Bâtiment no 13 Chapel-Mess Hall Regina, SK S4P 3J7, or to Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina SK S4P 2R3 or a charity of your choice.  We rejoice that John and Shirley are reunited and safe in the arms of Jesus.